Half to william w



I .W. H BAOHE.

FIFTH WHEBL' (No Model.)

No. 486,060. Patented Nov. 8, 1 892.

' HE STATES PATENT 'FFICE.

WILLIAM H. BAOHE, OF BOUND BROOK, NEWV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TOWILLIAM W. SMALLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

FIFTH-WHEEL.

SIPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,060, datedNovember 8, 1892.

Application filed April 20, 1892. Serial No. 429,942. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BAOHE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bound Brook, in the county of Somerset and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fifth-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fifth-wheels; and it has for its object toprovide a simple, cheap, and effective structure which shall beselflubricating and in which the wheel is light and the lubricatingmaterial is so arranged that it is not liable to be displaced or to bedisturbed by mud, water, or dust; and to these ends my inventionconsists in a structure arranged and-operating substantially as moreparticularly pointed out hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom planview'of the fifthwheel, the parts being broken away to show the bottomsurface of the upper plate, Fig. 2 is a side View. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection on the lines 3 3, Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section onthe lines 4 4, Fig. 3.

In order to overcome the wear incident to a fifth-wheel,which is liableto cause noise or chattering, various inventions have been made, and inPatent No. 370,718 a'constrnction is shown whereby two different metalsare used in the wheel, one of which is provided with a solid lubricant.In this construction, however, the brass plate is a separate plateinterposed between the two ordinary plates of the fifth-wheel and thelubricating material is placed in the upper surface of this separateplate, which plate is secured to the bottom plate of the wheel by boltsor rivets. While this wheel has proven more or less effective, theobject of my invention is to overcome certain disadvantages arising fromits use and to provide an improved and much simpler and more eifectivewheel, which not only avoids objections overcome by this patent, butothers, as will appear from the description of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the bottom plate of thefifth-wheel, which may be of any suitable construction, preferably ofwrought-iron, and may be provided with suitable clips B, by means ofwhich it may be secured to the axle of the vehicle in the ordinarymanner. The upper surface of this plateA is preferably flat and smooth.Mounted upon this plate is the upper plate 0 of the fifth-wheel, whichis preferably made of brass or some relatively-softer metal than theplate A, which may be molded and cast and has a con figurationsubstantially agreeing with said plate, and it is provided, preferably,with suitable studs or bearings D, by means of which it can be morereadily secured to the headblock or other portion of the vehicle.

In order to prevent wear between the two plates, I provide the upperplate 0 with ahard lubricant, and while various lubricants can be used Iprefer one composed of graphite mixed with a suitable materialforhardening and holding it in place. This lubricant is held in recesses0, formed in the under surface of the plate, and in order that it may beprevented from dropping out under jolts or jars these recesses orpockets are smaller at their surface than at their bottoms, or, in otherwords, their edges are undercut, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, sothat when the lubricant is compressed in the pockets it will be securelyheld against displacement.

In order that the lubricant may extend over as much of the contactingsurfaces of the two plates as possible, I make elongated pockets, asshown in Fig. 1, arranged each at an angle to a radial line drawn fromthe center of the wheel, as in this way I am enabled to almostcompletely cover the bearing-surfaces of the two plates with thelubricant, and the lubricating material will spread itself under wearover practically all parts of the contacting surfaces. Furthermore, thelubricant being applied to the upper portion or plate of the wheel, mud,water, or dust are prevented from lodging or remaining on the surface ofthe lubricant and causing excessive wear between the faces of the wheel.Moreover, I have found it is much easier to apply and retainthelubricant in the recesses in the cast upper half of the wheel than inthe separate plate of the patent, which on account of its being thin isliable to bend or spring out of shape and loosen or throw out thelubricant.

The separate plate heretofore used is difficult to secure withoutbuckling or warping, difficult to maintain fiat under changes oftemperature, and is expensive in its application, all of whichobjections are avoided by my improved construction.

It will thus be seen that I provide an exceedingly simple and practicalwheel which is self-lubricating, not liable to wear, and which avoidsmany objections to the wheels as now ordinarily made and used, and whileI have shown my invention as applied to a wheel having features ofconstruction which with pockets for the reception of a solid lubricant,substantially as described.

3. A fifth-wheel comprising two plates, one

of which is of wrought-iron and is adapted to be attached to the axleand the other of which is of softer cast metal and adapted to beattached to the head-block of the wagon and provided With recesses onits under side for the reception of a solid lubricant, substantially asdescribed.

4. Ida fifth-wheel composed of two plates, the upper cast plate providedwith pockets having undercut edges for the reception and retention of asolid lubricant, substantially as described.

5. In a fifth-wheel composed of two plates, the upper cast plateprovided with elongated pockets for the reception of a hard lubricant,arranged at angles to radial lines, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

V. H. BACHE.

Witnesses:

GEORGIA P. KRAMER, ALLE N. DOBSON.

